


White Fin

by charivari



Series: Simanzi Mers AU [1]
Category: The Transformers (IDW Generation One)
Genre: AU, F/M, Lotty is a dork, Merformers, Riptide is a mer dork
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-10-21
Updated: 2015-10-21
Packaged: 2018-04-27 10:16:35
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,015
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5044498
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/charivari/pseuds/charivari
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>MerRiptide/Human Lotty. Dorkiness.</p>
            </blockquote>





	White Fin

**Author's Note:**

> My first attempt at writing merformers. 
> 
> Because if anyone looks like he should be a mer it's fraggin' Riptide. And he'd still be a dork :'3

Lotty was convinced the mer was sort of… stalking her. Every time she went for her daily run along the Simanzi beach she spotted the telltale dorsal fin in the distance, following her movements as she made her way to the rocky outcrop called the Crucible then back to research station.

It had seemed like coincidence at first. That the mer might have simply been tracking a school of fish along the coastline. But every morning without fail she spotted him (at least she dubbed it a ‘him’, Nautica said this particular pod were primarily males) and his pattern remained the same, seeming to swim in pace with her.

The realization had been somewhat entertaining. Like they were racing. But after a week Lotty had started to feel disconcerted by the whole thing. What if the behavior was less playful and more sinister? Nautica said mers were inquisitive by nature but they were also hunters.

Maybe Lotty presented some kind of challenge as a running land fish.

Nautica had chuckled at Lotty's concern,

"I doubt White Fin is planning on making you a snack," she assured her, "Anyway, there's a reasonably safe distance between you."

This species of mer preferred to remain in deep water. The only time they ventured close to shore was in search of fish.

Lotty was a tad reassured. In any case she wasn't about to give up her daily runs due to a stalker mer. It was one of her passions - that and her interest in medicine. Only the latter wasn't working out so well. She had failed her exam (again), prompting Nautica to invite her to Simanzi.

To take her mind off things, Nautica had said, she could help with her research.

"I'm not even a marine biologist," Lotty had pointed out.

"Doesn't matter. A lot of it is observation. You can do that. Besides, I uh, can’t afford to hire anyone else."

Nautica’s research had been plagued with a lack of funding.

In the past the mer population of Simanzi had been decimated by mer-hunters - to the point the hunters had abandoned the spot for more prospective locations. The lack of female mers meant their numbers hadn't improved.

There had been proposal to relocate the pod to marine parks in order to allow better breeding opportunities.

Nautica had opposed it.

"There's a reason they remain here," she told Lotty, "Instead of leaving and joining more fertile pods. I need to prove they are thriving despite the low birth rate."

In her opinion plans to relocate them would cause nothing but emotional distress.

"Pods are the same as human families," she explained, "Imagine being separated and expected to adapt. There's a reason why there's a high rate of depression and suicide amongst wild mers in captivity."

Nautica had managed to convince the Marine Conservation Board to allow her three months on Simanzi Island completing her study, though their allocation of funding was minimal.

"They expect me to fail," she said bitterly, "In fact, they want me to. It’s easier for them to bow down to the marine parks."

Which is why she asked Lotty's assistance. She needed a volunteer she could trust, and Lotty was medically trained.

"I’m unlicensed," Lotty reminded her.

Nautica had smiled in response,

"Unlicensed or not, I trust you with my life."

"You might regret saying that," Lotty said, though her lips quirked all the same.

So she had accompanied Nautica to the lonely husk of an island called Simanzi.

Nautica was still curled in her sleeping bag when Lotty woke at day break for her morning run. Previous attempts to coax her into joining Lotty had been met with grumpy resistance. Nautica wasn't a morning person, nor was she a fan of exercise like Lotty was.

Nautica was a book worm, a lazy book worm. A fact that made Lotty snigger under her breath at her friend cocooned in her sleeping bag.

The rotting floorboards creaked under her runners as she made her way to the door of the cabin. It was a remnant of the mer-hunting days, built by the hunters themselves, the sole man-made structure on the island - thus their only option as a base of operations.

Despite their best attempts to air it out, the smell of decay still hung in the air. As soon as Lotty stepped outside she inhaled the sea air gratefully.

Despite its unwelcoming interior, the cabin did offer a stunning view of the ocean. A fact dampened by the knowledge the hunters had chosen the location as the perfect vantage point to spot mers.

Today there was no sign of them. At least from what she spied watching the surface. Perhaps they were feeding on the other side of the island.

She couldn't even spot her stalker mer, though he had a habit of appearing during the start of her run.

Lotty zipped her Caminus State jacket up to the neck to protect against the wind. She completed a few stretches before glancing back at the ocean.

Still no sign of activity.

She left the grassy hilltop the cabin was situated upon and made her way down to the beach.

As soon as she hit the sand she broke into a jog. She quickly found her rhythm, her breath mingling with the thrum of the wind in her ears. She looked out towards the sea without pausing, expecting to see a pale dorsal fin rising into sight.

Instead there was nothing. Odd, Lotty thought.

Maybe he was running late. The thought made her smile. It wasn't as though mers had watches.

Lotty timed 30 seconds before glancing sideways again.

Another 30 seconds.

This went on for a few minutes before the mer's lack of appearance caused Lotty to halt.

She scanned the distance more shrewdly, making sure she hadn't missed him.

But beyond the rolling waves there was no hint of that familiar fin.

Lotty was confused.

Maybe the mer had tired of the game. Lotty felt the sting of disappointment.

Still she persisted in completing her run, though now it felt far less enjoyable.

She had become accustomed to racing the mer.

Running solo felt rather lonely.

She tried to focus on reaching the Crucible.

The jagged rock face loomed ahead, looking like a set piece from a pirate movie.

Lotty couldn't help glancing at the sea one last time before she reached it.

No fin.

With a sigh Lotty slowed to a halt. Normally she would immediately turn back. But this time, with no mer to race against, she didn't feel the need to rush. She rounded the nearest hunk of black stone, trying to find a sheltered place to catch her breath -

The flash of gaping jaws caused her scream and topple backwards.

Lotty struggled upright, heaving.

It was a mer, the closest she had seen one in the wild.

Not just any mer either. She recognized the white dorsal fin rising from the blue hue of his back.

It was her stalker - and his currently position explained his previous absence.

He was wedged between two jagged rocks.

Lotty wondered how he had gotten stuck there. Had he underestimated the tide?

Whatever the reason he was deeply lodged. His attempts to free himself were causing the serrated edges of the rock to cut into his body. Pink blood was spilling over his white underbelly.

Lotty found herself moving forward,

"Stop," she said, "Let me help..."

She halted abruptly, a thought flashing in her mind.

"Were you lying in wait for me?"

Why else would the mer have come this far into shore, at the risk of getting itself stuck?

Unless it was waiting to attack her.

Lotty took in its teeth and drew back.

The mer's eyes seemed to follow her, head rolling back and forth.

The overall impression was pitiful... more than that, fearful.

Lotty's chest felt heavy with guilt as the mer flailed.

She couldn't sit back and watch it struggle to the point of exhaustion.

Even if she had been on its menu.

"Okay, okay," she said, moving forward tentatively, "I'm going to try to push you free... Somehow."

She remembered passing a sturdy piece of driftwood.

"Wait here," she told him, "Sorry, that's probably in bad taste."

She raced to gather the driftwood.

"I'm going to wedge this under you and try to lift you up," she told him.

The mer showed no sign of comprehension. He continued writhing.

What did you expect Lotty, for him to understand you?

She slotted the driftwood underneath the mer's belly and pushed down. The mer budged, but only slightly.

"Woah, you're heavy," she grimaced, "No offense."

The mer responded with something that sounded like the equivalent to a human's gasp. Lotty could see its gills straining.

She threw her weight down hard on the driftwood - relieved when it didn't snap.

Even more mercifully it seemed to have the desired effect. It lifted the mer, enough to grant it enough freedom to wriggle backwards.

His tail lashed at the waves impatiently, raining seawater over the two of them. Droplets caught in Lotty's eyes and stung. Vision clouded she endured, maintaining her weight on the lever until she heard the dull splash of the mer's body hitting the water.

Lotty released the driftwood and rubbed at her bleary eyes.

The mer was lying almost motionless in the shallow water, allowing the waves to crash over its back.

Blood was still running from the wounds, staining the water pink.

Lotty would have liked to treat them.

But approaching the mer now was risky.

There was nothing stopping those jaws from clamping around her leg.

Lotty forced herself to remain still, allowing his previous prison to act as a safe barrier.

"You - you take care of yourself," she found herself saying, "Don't get stuck again."

To her surprise the mer's eyes seemed to lock with hers.

There was a certain confusion in them - an intelligent confusion. Lotty could tell he was thinking. About what she wasn't entirely sure.   

His head appeared to bob, though Lotty presumed it was more the motion of the waves.

Suddenly the mer unexpectedly swerved, tail propelling it back towards deeper ocean.

It's injuries didn't appear to have impaired it's swimming ability.

Still, watching the fast moving streak of blue and white was a little disheartening.

Lotty found her hand rising and waving somewhat sadly,

"Er okay, bye."

She returned to the cabin to recount her tale to Nautica.

"I told you he was trying to make a meal of me."

"Not necessarily," Nautica said, "Maybe he just wanted a closer look."

"At the risk of killing himself?" Lotty frowned.

Nautica smiled,

"Maybe he thinks you're cute."

Lotty stared at her a moment before grinning,

"That's daft _Naughty_ Nautica. And you call yourself a marine biologist."

Nautica shrugged,

"Males do a lot of stupid things for courtship."

"I dare you to write that in your report. I'm sure it would go over well with the Conservation Board. 'Simanzi mers display a romantic interest in humans...'"

"Only the spiky-haired runners," Nautica chuckled, "All the same, I think I'll keep the theory to myself."

Lotty's smile turned into a sigh,

"I hope he's okay. He seemed okay but his wounds were pretty nasty. I feel bad for not treating them."

"You had to put your safety first," Nautica assured her, "Mers have advanced healing capabilities. Those wounds should heal pretty quickly."

Lotty glanced out towards the ocean,

"I hope so."

Even so she continued to worry. The next morning she made her way down to the beach.

Instead of her usual jog, she stood staring out at the water, eyes searching hopefully.

She practically let out a happy scream when she caught sight of the familiar fin.

"Hey," she flapped her arms, "Hey White Fin!"

She watched the fin complete a circular arc. Ridiculous as it seemed, it felt like some kind of greeting.

"Race you!" she called, and broke into a sprint.

She glanced over her shoulder, delighted to see the white fin slicing through the water in an attempt to catch up.


End file.
